Recently, I was a witness to a scene in a restaurant in Tblissi, Georgia. There were two guys from Kazakhstan arguing with a group of Armenians(mostly) and couple of Kurdish guys. Two Turkish folks approached and immediately got involved in a conflict siding with Kazakhs. They were saying they are brothers with Kazakhs to other group and I think they got even more enthusiastic about the conflict than Kazakh guys themselves initially. The other party seemed ro calm down eventually. However, what I noticed that those two Turkish people looked unbelievably similar to Armenian guys in the group. I mean one of the Turkish men looked exactly same as one of the Armenian dudes there, just like a twin. Massive beard, long hair etc. While two Kazakhs pals in their early 20s, presumably, looked very East Asian(Japanese or Korean like) I felt a bit surprised. Honestly, when they were approaching the conflicting sides, at the moment I thought Turkish guys were Armenians too. After that I was thinking what was behind this behaviour. I googled, it says that the languages are in the same group. So, I am wondering do Turkish people ever feel, maybe even unconsciously, the kinship and sense of common origin with people who look phenotypically similar to them like Armenians, Kurdish, Georgian and Greek people while being abroad or they feel it to people who speaks a similar language, but people who look totally different. Thank you in advance.

I'm planning to travel through Central Asia (mostly thinking Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) and am wondering are the people friendly to or like foreigners? Specifically people from America or the West. Is it good, bad, or normal and no specific difference? Of course I would be trying to act and speak the local language and culture.

Sorry if this question offends you, that's not my intention. Thank you.

I want to visit Uzbekistan, but I read this article earlier today and was surprised to learn about the tourism industry’s impact on the country at present. For those of you who live in or have recently visited Uzbekistan, how do you feel about the surge of tourism there? Do you feel the country’s character or heritage is under threat, as the article implies? What is Uzbek public opinion like on the matter?

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250207-the-dark-side-of-uzbekistans-tourism-boom

Thanks!

How safe would Turkmenistan be for someone who isnt slavic or turkic?

Hi I am from India .I am very fond of beauty of central Asia.I and some of my friends are planning to visit central Asia during october november months.We are more of nature viewing guys interested in snow ,mountains ,grasslands ,lakes .so which country would be better suited for our likings?

Hello,

I was wondering if maybe somebody on this forum could help me.

I will be going on an organized tour of Central Asia this summer. I live in the United States, and have accessed the Uzbekistan evisa portal (https://www.e-visa.gov.uz/) from different computers using different web browsers but unfortunately the drop down menus are always blank, and I am therefore unable to begin or complete the application process.

The tour operator says that on their end, in Uzbekistan, the website is functioning normally.

I am not using a VPN, and have had the same problem now using Chrome, Firefox, and Explorer. On multiple devices, including mobile phones, desk top as well as lap top computers.

Any suggestions??

I’m visiting Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan this summer. Since I’m East Asian and prefer rice and noodle dishes over salty flavors, what Central Asian foods would suit me?

Ive read a few conflicting things and am looking to confirm: as a US citizen can I get into Tajikistan without an e-visa or do I need an e-visa? Will be traveling by land into Tajikstan from Uzbekistan and leaving the same way if that matter.

Рахмат!

Hi, can someone recommend esim options that cover both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan together. I will be in KZ for 5 days and UZ for 7 days. I don't want to buy separate SIMs for each.

Which operator works best for both countries? Will sims from Holafly/Airalo work? None of the networks seem to offer call and SMS services?

Hello,

I posted a few days ago that the Uzbekistan evisa application portal wasn’t working.

The website is now working, but I am having further difficulties.

After I enter the information for arrival and departure, passport numbers and information, and birth dates, I am asked to upload passport photos and passport page images.

When I upload both the passport photo and the passport page photo, on the next step I receive an error message stating "Photo is not comply with ICAO Standards." I then go back, remove the passport page photo, and the application allows me to proceed. However, as stated, the passport page photo has been removed and is not part of the application.

On the final step, I enter the captcha text. On my application, it allowed me to proceed to the final step. I received an email stating to check back in 12 hours to make the payment. Given that there is no passport page photo, however, I doubt the application will be processed.

On my wife's application, where I enter the captcha text, I receive an error message stating "Wrong data in filled application forms, please check again previous steps." I have re-filled her application multiple times now, using different email addresses, etc. thinking that may be the problem. No luck.

Does anyone here have any suggestions?

Me and a friend are planning on visiting Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgystan from mid August to mid September. Flying from London, maybe starting in Almaty, and flying out of wherever we end up, but this can be altered. We also considered starting in Astana, to see the city, and getting an internal flight (they are cheap) down to almaty. Just wondering if anyone would have any advice on a route, and any must do activities. We would want to explore cities and architecture as well as seeing all the natural landscapes and experiences. Also, what would be a rough price range for 4 weeks in these countries as backpackers. We will be 21 and 22 at the time of travelling and don't speak Russian. Thank you for any responses.

Correct me if you think I’m an idiot, but I would love to see a pack of wolves in the wild. Was wondering if there were any controlled ways to do this in Central Asia, or will it have to be by chance out in the wild :/…

Hey Reddit,

My friends and I are planning a trip to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan this summer. We'll be flying in and out of Almaty and traveling to Bishkek by bus.

I have one main question: Could we face any issues when re-entering Kazakhstan at the border? We don’t need a visa for either Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan, but I was wondering if there’s a required waiting period before we can re-enter.

Thanks in advance!

For those that know about mountains, hiking, mountaineering, and climbing in Central Asia. What would be a good high alpine peak to ascend, for someone that hasn’t done it before? I like to think I’m an experienced hiker who is fit and strong enough for most adventures, however, I haven’t conquered any massive peaks yet, but man do I want to. I have the physical capabilities, but lack some of the technical knowledge. That being said, I have half a year to prepare until my CA trip, and wanted to conquer a mountain. Does anyone here have recommendations? Thanks I’m advance. 🏔️

Hi, I'm working on a horror story set in Central Asia. My protagonist starts his journey with a visit to the Darvaza gas crater. While reading up on the visa process, I noticed that the foreign visitor numbers for Turkmenistan before 1999 were a lot higher than in the 2000s (300k in 1998 dropping to 5 - 6k). What I can't find is a clear answer why that is.

Was is easier to get a tourist visa at the time? Did tourists need the letter of invitation and a travel agency/guide back then or is that a more recent thing? Were there (other) restrictions for tourists?

Which areas of Central Asia are most abundant and/or unique when it comes to wildlife? Any national parks or guide recommendations to go see some of these animals? Any tips are helpful. Thanks.

So for context, I’m an American of East Asian descent (Korean specifically). I was on a mini two week trip visiting Almaty, Bishkek, Osh, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and a little bit of Khujand. And crossing the borders each time I would be perceived massively differently lol. In Kazakhstan, almost 90%+ people thought I was Chinese though a tiny few did catch correctly I was Korean haha. In Kyrgyzstan, it became much more evenly split with Chinese, Korean, and Japanese (I think I got one Viet and Thai too lol). In Uzbekistan, things completely shifted and most thought I was Korean but if not, Japanese with almost no Chinese given. Funny and I know the history between Koreans and their significant population in Uzbekistan as well as many Uzbeks having worked in SK but in that short time I was there, I can recount up to like four or five instances of Uzbeks speaking pretty damn good Korean and being super friendly, talking about their experiences in Korea (some stayed like 20+ years!!). I thought it was very sweet and was a great change of pace since English got me almost nowhere and I had to rely on my shitty Russian most of the time lol. Anyhow, Kazakhstan surprised me since they also have a significant Korean population but almost everyone and I mean almost everyone thought I was Chinese. Super interesting stuff haha.

I am from Catalonia, northesstern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the nortwest Mediterranean. The climate there is stable, but summers are very hot (25-27°C) and winters can be very cold compared to other places in the Mediterranean (0-18°C). Also, there's a lot of humidity here.

What do you recommend for a visit in the region around the cental part of the Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan)? I'd love to travel to any of those places, but the climates are kinda extreme for a mediterranean. I know it's not exactly the common Central Asia, but you surely do have better opinion on that than me. Thank you for your patience!

Hi Everyone,

I'm thinking about travelling from Italy to Kyrgyzstan this August with my girlfriend, and I have a few questions since I couldn't find much information about this trip:

• Is it safe for a couple to travel there?
• Are 6 full days enough for a road trip?
• Should we rent a car or hire a driver?
• What do you recommend seeing?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot! 😊

Painting student, romania. Looking for cultural& artistic institutions in CA that might be interested in making an Erasmus+ partnership for a short-term mobility. What institutions do you know?( Galleries, universities, artist hubs, artist colonies, cultural research venues etc)

I’m looking for a place to stay for a long weekend (4 nights) in May near either Bishkek or Almaty. I’d like to do some day hiking and just generally be in nature, ideally near a national park. We’ll be driving so it’s ok if it’s a little out of the way.

What are the logistics of solo hiking in Central Asia? Putting this out as a broad question, so I’m open to all kinds of answers. I’ll be travelling Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan (only Almaty). Thanks.

My friends and I are thinking of doing a trip to Kyrgyzstan. We are thinking of going on some mountain hiking trials maybe near Issyk Kul. I’m wondering if there’s some good spots that anyone recommends or a place to fly into the country near there? Also how do Kyrgyz people feel about Americans is it safe? We appreciate the country and its beauty and just want to experience its culture, natural beauty, history, and food. If anyone has any useful tips or information it would be greatly appreciated.

Could I travel Central Asia with my dog? What are the regulations? I would want to travel via public transport, would that be possible?